Richhill’s Warren discovers ‘song is king’ in Nashville

Richhill musician Warren Attwell is still starry-eyed after his recent gig in Nashville.

Warren lived every songwriter’s dream afer being handpicked to take to the stage at The Bluebird Café, where names like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift have played.

“Every year a group from the Belfast Nashville Songwriters’ Festival open applications to take a group of writers over to showcase their talent and meet with various people in the industry there,” Warren explains. “I was very lucky to be one of the four who were selected.”

Warren is no stranger to the stage - he’s been writing and singing since the age of 15 - but could be forgiven for any nerves while performing in America’s songwriting capital.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, but a really incredible experience,” Warren shares. “The Café is such an intimate setting and we had a really attentive audience. They have a saying in Nashville that ‘the song is king’, and that’s really evident when you play there.”

Warren has previously played across the globe with local folk group, Stonewall.

It was a little nerve-wracking, but a really incredible experience

Warren Attwell

“I’m always a little more anxious when playing on my own,” he says. “One of the main reasons I love playing with Stonewall is that we have great craic with each other and that definitely comes across on stage.”

Warren hopes to release his new EP later this year: “Beyond that, I’d imagine a lot more gigging and hard graft!”